The invention relates generally to a mixed signal connector and more specifically to a mixed signal connector for use with an expansion card in a personal computer.
Computers are increasingly being used in multi-media applications that involve both video and audio processing. In many cases such processing is off loaded from the central processing unit of the computer system to specialized processors such as video graphics processors that may also perform audio processing functions. In many cases, these video graphics processors are implemented on expansion cards that are plugged into computer systems such as personal computers.
In order to provide all of the audio and video signals to such video graphics expansion cards for processing, a wide variety of different signal formats (i.e. analog and digital) must be supported. As the number of signals provided to such expansion cards increases,.the number of required connector positions increases. In addition to this, some connectors are quite complex and large, such as the Digital Video Interface (DVI) connector developed by Intel for driving digital flat panel displays. The dimensions of the DVI connector with respect to the mounting surface are almost twice the size of the standard video graphics adapter (VGA) connectors commonly used for driving conventional displays today.
In order to allow the signals required by the video graphics expansion card to be provided to the card, the connectors are typically placed along the backside of the card as it mounts in the personal computer chassis. A bracket that is used for mounting the expansion card in the computer chassis includes a number of apertures that allow access to the various connectors from external to the personal computer chassis.
FIG. 1 illustrates a view of a prior art bracket that is shown to include a number of apertures corresponding to various connectors that are commonly used for relaying audio and video signals today. The right-most aperture is designed for a VGA connector commonly used for driving a display, whereas the other apertures may be used to carry signals such as analog and digital audio information. Unfortunately, the connectors corresponding to the apertures in the bracket illustrated in FIG. 1 cannot support the number of signals that maybe required by some video graphics expansion cards being developed today. In addition to not supporting enough signals, the connectors illustrated in FIG. 1 do not provide the mixed signal and other functional capabilities that may be required by such video graphics expansion cards.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved mixed signal connector that can support a large number of signals that may include analog signals, digital signals, and high frequency analog signals where the footprint of the connector is limited in size such that it is easily accommodated within the space available on an ATX bracket that may include additional connectors for other signals.